The synthesis of oxide materials is most commonly performed using a solid-state reaction between two or more metal oxide species. This process is generally referred to as the “ceramic method”. High temperatures typically being greater than 800° C. are required to ensure the diffusion of metals in the mixture and obtain the desired compounds having homogeneous morphology and composition. During this process intermediate grinding and heating is sometimes necessary.
Synthesis methods using soft chemistry at lower temperatures are known to produce oxide materials at a lower cost. These methods include sol-gel, co-precipitation of precursors, combustion reaction, and hydrothermal or solvothermal synthesis. A more attractive method for industrial production of metal oxide powders is the co-precipitation of precursors molecules (e.g. oxalates, citrates or tartrates) and subsequent thermal reactions. But this method suffers from variability in product due to variation of factors such as temperature, concentration, pH, and the rate of addition of the respective solutions.